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CHINA: The International Metalworkers' Federation is deeply concerned about charges of subversion which have been brought against Yao Fuxin and Xiao Yunliang, workers' representatives in the four-year campaign against corruption, mismanagement and the resultant bankruptcy at the Liaoyang Ferro-Alloy Factory. The metalworkers had been demanding a basic living allowance, pension and back pay. 

Yao and Xiao and fellow workers, Pang Qingxiang and Wang Zhaoming, were detained in March 2002, and during this time their rights were repeatedly violated. Pang and Wang were finally released on bail in December. 

In letters of protest to the president of the People's Republic of China, Jian Zemin, and to the chairman of the All China Federation of Trade Unions, Wang Zhaoguo, the IMF general secretary, Marcello Malentacchi, stated the Liaoyang workers were only exercising their rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining as guaranteed by the International Labour Organisation's Conventions No. 87 and 98, and that as a member of the ILO, China had to guarantee its workers these established rights.

Malentacchi also wrote in his letter to the All China Federation of Trade Unions that instead of assisting Yao and Xiao in their dispute with the factory management or supporting them now in their cases before the courts, "the ACFTU has abandoned them to a system that continues to ignore even the most fundamental workers' rights. Indeed, far from helping these workers, the ACFTU has actually worked against them and added to the unfounded allegations they face."

The IMF joined the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions in a formal complaint last March with the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association against the government of the People's Republic of China for violations of the principles of freedom of association. 

The trial against the two activists opens today, January 15.

Independent workers' activists from the Liaoyang Ferro-Alloy Factory are being charged with subversion.

Background news item

Special campaign website of China Labour Bulletin

Concern for Chinese metalworkers on trial

<img style="margin-right: 5px" src="" alt="IFAs" title="IFAs" width="89" height="89" align="left" />How do you protect workers rights where legislation is inadequate? How can you ensure respect for the ILO Core Labour Standards in all facilities of a transnational company? And how do you protect the interests of workers where unions are weak or non-existent? International Framework Agreements (IFAs) are a relatively recent tool but one now widely used by the IMF and other Global Union Federations to lay down the rules of conduct for transnational companies. Since they are negotiated on a global level and require the participation of trade unions, International Framework Agreements are an ideal instrument for dealing with the issues raised by globalisation. This is why the International Metalworkers Federation is dedicated to pursuing IFAs in all transnational companies where our affiliates have members. The future direction of International Framework Agreements (IFAs) was the subject of discussion at a world conference in 2006. The recommendations arising from the conference and subsequently adopted by the IMF Executive Committee can be found <a href="../index.cfm?c=14787">here</a>.

In depth: IFAs

List of all IFAs concluded by the Global Union Federations

Indesit (previously Merloni)

Volkswagen

Daimler

Leoni

Rheinmetall

Bosch

Prym

Renault

EADS

Röchling

PSA Peugeot Citroën

Brunel

Umicore

Vallourec

Aker

Electrolux

Norsk Hydro

Deutsch

Italiano

Portuguese

&#1056;&#1091;&#1089;&#1089;&#1082;&#1080;&#1081;

Srpski

The power of Framework Agreements

A &quot;Declaration on Social Rights and Industrial Relationships at Volkswagen&quot; was signed in June 2002, by Volkswagen management, the IMF and the Volkswagen Global Works' Council (GWC). The Declaration states that the principles of the <a href="index.cfm?n=47&amp;l=2&amp;c=7799">ILO Core Labour Standards</a> will be assured within Volkswagen. The VW Declaration deals with the freedom of association, collective bargaining, prohibition of child work and forced labour and non-discrimination, as well as remuneration, health and safety and working time. Company management will report to the GWC and its Steering Committee, and in cases of reported violations, one of the two will become active and discuss ways to solve the problems. The IMF's coordinator for the VW Global Works' Council is involved in this discussion and will bring in the position of the IMF and its affiliated unions. The agreement is applicable to the entire Volkswagen group - Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Rolls-Royce Bentley, Lamborghini, Auto-Europa.

List of Volkswagen plants and brands

English (pdf)

German (pdf)

French (pdf)

Spanish (pdf)

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IFA: Volkswagen

SAN DIEGO: At its recently concluded meeting in San Diego, California, USA, the IMF Executive Committee approved the proposed programme of activities for 2003. Amongst others, the Executive discussed the following issues:
<ul>
<li>International Framework Agreements: In order to lay down rules of conduct for transnational companies, the IMF, as a major focus in the years to come, will pursue International Framework Agreements, negotiated between trade unions at a global level and company management. 
<li>Women's representation: The percentage of women members in the IMF is not reflected at any level of its structures, either formal or informal. For example, the IMF Executive Committee has never included a woman. The Executive therefore decided that:
<ul><li>The IMF shall reestablish a Women's Committee. 
<li>An IMF Women's Conference will be held in conjunction with IMF Congresses.
<li>Affiliates shall target a 20 per cent participation by women at the IMF Central Committee meeting in 2003 and the Congress in 2005.
<li>Steps must be taken to ensure that the IMF Executive includes a substantial number of women. How this will be done must be discussed at the next meeting of the Executive, and as there might be implications for the IMF Rules, probably also at the next IMF Congress.</ul>
<li>Belarus: The Executive issued a declaration appealing for support for the IMF's Belarus affiliates (see separate article). Moreover, since the Congress of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB) is in effect controlled by the repressive government of Lukashenko, the IMF recommends all IMF affiliates to urge their respective trade union confederations not to have any contact with the FTUB.

The IMF will organise a seminar about trade union rights in Belarus in the first half of next year.</ul>

The core issues of the IMF are, of course, organising the unorganised, international solidarity, and dealing with transnational corporations. Within this context a programme of activities was decided, including:
<ul>
<li>seminars on International Framework Agreements;
<li>a conference on ICT companies;
<li>regional conferences on export processing zones;
<li>an organising programme in Mexico;
<li>projects on training trainers in Russia and Ukraine;
<li>a seminar on organising non-manual workers.
</ul>
The IMF also welcomes three new affiliates, adding to the more than 200 in the federation:<ul>
<li>Limter-Is (Turkey), shipbuilding &amp; ship repairing sector, 1,112 members;
<li>International Union of Elevator Constructors (USA/Canada), engineering sector, 27,000 members;
<li>International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (USA/Canada), shipbuilding sector, 1,250 members (there are other sectors not affiliated to the IMF).
</ul>

The IMF Executive Committee discussed International Framework Agreements, women's representation and Belarus.

Rights violations continue in Belarus

Framework agreements in focus at IMF Executive

Last week the Executive Committee of the International Metalworkers' Federation visited the maquiladoras in Mexico.
Of course there was no question of visiting a plant. As trade unionists, we had been denied access. Instead, we went to meet the workers where they live, in the so-called "residential areas". 

We met mostly women. Not because they stay at home and do not work, but because they work 12-hour-long nightshifts. Yes, 12 hours for four nights and "only" six hours the fifth night - altogether 54 night hours per week.

All of those whom we talked to had come to Tijuana from southern Mexico, where living and working conditions are even worse than in the maquila districts of the north. The transnational companies in the maquilas know that, and this is the reason they can continue to exploit workers.

With a weekly salary of about US$50, workers have lots of difficulty just to survive... and this is supposed to be one of the richest regions in Mexico. Most of the workers and their families live in wooden shanties, providing poor and fragile shelter. There's no electricity, no running water.

Drinking water is only available from the shops at a relatively high price, and people must spend a disproportionate amount of their wages just to buy it. Drinking water is a basic human right that should be provided to everyone on this Earth by the community.

The people in the communities around the maquilas are also exposed to an array of environmental hazards. An abandoned battery plant with tons of visible residue from lead, nickel and cadmium contaminates the small river that runs through the community at the bottom of the hill.

And there is no union to protect them... only "protection contracts" signed by transnational companies and the mafia, which collects dues without the workers knowing it.

It hurts to see kids jumping and playing in this environment.

They are not waiting for Santa Claus. They are waiting for social justice and an opportunity to make a living.

They dream of earning money to buy the things their parents are producing and which are exported to other countries to make other people happy.

Merry Christmas to everybody.

Season&#039;s greetings from Tijuana to Wall Street and all the other&lt;br&gt;stock exchanges

BELARUS: During its meeting last week in San Diego, California, the IMF Executive Committee issued a strong statement (full text on associate link) in support of the IMF's two Belarus affiliates, the Automobile &amp; Agricultural Machinery Workers' Union (AAM) and the Radio &amp; Electronics Industry Workers' Union (REI). The two unions are fighting to safeguard the independent trade union movement in Belarus.

Since September 2002, when the Congress of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB) elected Leonid Kozik as its new president, the situation for the country's independent trade unions has been steadily worsening. The election of Kozik, the former deputy head of Belarus President Lukashenko's Administration and unknown in the trade union movement, was achieved through blatant violations of internationally accepted trade union rights and any kind of conventions or principles of the International Labour Organisation.

A real campaign is in action in Belarus aimed at removing from office the presidents of the AAM and REI, Aliaksandr Bukhvostau and Gennadi Fedynitch. State authorities, management of companies and the state-run mass media are putting intense pressure on the two unions and actively harassing and persecuting the trade union leaders and those who support them. 

The IMF is appealing to all its members to support the Belarus affiliates by sending protests to the Belarus authorities, as well as letters to their own governments to urge them to influence the leadership of Belarus to stop the violations of workers' rights.

Letters for Belarus government authorities can be addressed to: 
<ul>
<li>A.G. Lukashenko 
President of the Republic of Belarus 
Administration of the President of Belarus 
Fax: ++375/17 2260610 
E-mail (from president's official website): www.president.gov.by/eng/president/

<li>Council of Ministers 
Fax: ++375/17 2226665</ul>

Kindly send copies to: 
<ul>
<li>AAM 
Fax: ++375/17 2238160 
E-mail: acmbel2@mail.belpak.by
<li>REI 
Fax: ++375/17 2844187 
E-mail: prof2001@mail.ru

<li>IMF 
Fax: ++41/22 3085055 
E-mail: info@imfmetal.org 
</ul>

The IMF Executive has issued a declaration appealing for support for the IMF's Belarus affiliates.

IMF Executive Committee Declaration

Background on trade union situation in Belarus

Meetings between leaders of countries are necessary and useful, if they do not aim at replacing international organisations that have been set up for global governance.

Once again it is time for the "Big" economic powers to meet and decide how to rule the entire world. The place for the event is Evian, France (just 30 kilometers outside Geneva).

This time, Bush, Koizumi, Chirac, Blair and the others have decided to spend one day to "consult" some of the other countries. That is why Algeria, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa and Switzerland have been invited.

To make the event look even more legitimate, the UN, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the WTO have also be included for the consultations. The ILO, the organisation with the best democratic structure, has not been invited, and we know from past experience that workers' rights don't interest the "Big".

The criteria used to select the countries and organisations to be in Evian are a secret and will probably remain so. Furthermore, the G-8 has no rules. It meets and decides the agenda without any kind of democratic process or transparency.

Undoubtedly, there are things absent from this meeting's agenda which should be discussed but within the framework of the UN and under the chairmanship of its secretary-general, such as:
<ul>
<li>how to write off the well over US$2,000 billion external debt of developing countries;
<li>how to introduce a special tax on speculative financial transactions;
<li>how to create jobs for the more than 200 million jobless;
<li>how to reform international financial institutions and make them democratic and transparent.
</ul>
These fundamental issues need to be debated if the powerful leaders are serious about solving the problems which are afflicting most of the world's population.

G-8 Summit is useless&lt;br&gt;for the poor

CANADA: Reacting to the decision announced on May 22 by DaimlerChrysler to drop plans for a new assembly plant for pickup trucks in Windsor, Ontario, the head of the Canadian Auto Workers union, Buzz Hargrove, expressed anger and deep disappointment. 

In a press statement released by the CAW, the union's president said that the new plant could have been a "major decision to reverse the downward trend of auto, the most important industry in the country," but he blamed the federal and provincial governments for not doing enough to make sure the plant became a reality.

Although the automaker said the project for the Windsor plant would not be economically viable, the union believes the two issues standing in the way of implementing the investment agreement, which had been reached during bargaining in the fall of 2002, are lack of federal and provincial government support, and the rising value of the Canadian dollar.

The CAW president has written to Canada's prime minister, Jean Chrétien, to urge him to convene a meeting of the key stakeholders in the project for the Windsor plant, in order to consider the economic hurdles to the project and work together to see if the obstacles can be overcome.

Windsor is just across the border from Detroit, USA. According to the Detroit News and just-auto.com, the Chrysler group is trying to cut costs and boost revenues at a time when U.S. car and truck demand is down 4 per cent so far this year, and its own sales reduced 7.2 per cent.

Canadian auto union is deeply disappointed and blames the government.

News item on CAW-DC bargaining agreement

DaimlerChrysler drops plan for new plant

USA: The IMF-affiliated IUE-CWA reports that, on May 19, the first union proposal was made in national negotiations as the 14-member Coordinated Bargaining Committee of General Electric unions opened bargaining with General Electric in New York City. 

The IUE-CWA president, Edward Fire, who also chairs the CBC, proposed that GE reinstate two workers who were fired at the GE-owned Johnson Technology for their organizing activity. The National Labor Relations Board has issued charges in both cases. Saying that this issue had to be dealt with and resolved in these negotiations, Fire said that "at its core, General Electric has always been and remains, anti-union." 

Fire and IUE-CWA/GE Conference Board chairman, Art Smith, outlined the major issues in the negotiations. Key among them are pension increases and job security. Fire called for "substantial" pension improvements for current and future retirees, as well as improvements in health care with no cost shifting.

"There will be no givebacks in the new IUE-CWA GE three-year contract," Fire stated. "If General Electric continues to insist that IUE-CWA members accept the massive concessions in health care cost shifting GE has talked about, our members are prepared, and will strike."

The 14-member CBC unions open national negotiations with General Electric.

GE negotiations get underway

CHINA: The China Labour Bulletin reports that on May 9, 2003, a court in Liaoyang, northeastern China, handed down harsh prison sentences to Yao Fuxin and Xiao Yunliang, the two independent metalworker activists who were arrested in March 2002 and kept in detention since then for their part in a peaceful workers' demonstration. Yao, 52, has been sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, and Xiao, 57, to four years.

At their trial, which took place on January 15, 2003, both men were charged with "illegal assembly" and "subversion of state power" for leading a mass protest against alleged corruption at the Liaoyang Ferro-Alloy Factory, which led to the plant's bankruptcy, and against missing and unpaid wages and other benefits, including pensions. 

In late March 2002, the IMF joined the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions in filing a formal complaint with the International Labour Organisation's Committee on Freedom of Association against the government of the People's Republic of China for violations of the principles of freedom of association. Since then, the IMF has written protests to the president of China and to the government-sponsored All China Federation of Trade Unions. In March 2003, the Governing Body of the ILO, of which China is a member, called upon the Chinese authorities to release all Liaoyang workers still in detention and to drop any outstanding charges against them.

Yao Fuxin and Xiao Yunliang receive long prison terms for their participation in a peaceful workers' protest.

Background information

Chinese metalworkers sentenced

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